Teaming Up with Award-Winning Artist Mike Deodato, Jr.,
Rousey’s Action-Packed Title Follows A Newly Pregnant Mom
with A Bounty on Her Head as She Fights Off Waves of Assassins
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 25, 2024 – UFC, WWE, and Olympic superstar, multi-ESPY Award-winner, and Hollywood actress Ronda Rousey has stepped out of the ring and into the world of comics. Artists Writers and Artisans (AWA), the independent developer of bold, original stories from the world’s most outstanding creators, announced today the upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Rousey’s graphic novel debut,EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED. Penned by Rousey and edited by Axel Alonso, AWA Chief Creative Officer and former Editor-and-Chief at Marvel, with art by Eisner and Ringo Award-winning comic book artist Mike Deodato, Jr. (BAD MOTHER, WONDER WOMAN), the graphic noveldraws on Rousey’s incredible career in the ring and pairs it with Deodato’s martial arts background to create the most accurate and action-packed fight scenes in comics!
Her codename: “Mom.” With a fake baby bump filled with guns, she’s built a reputation as one of the deadliest hitwomen on the planet. But on the verge of her big break in the criminal underworld, Mom makes a fateful decision: sleeping with a potential target (who just so happens to be a top-ranked assassin himself). A few weeks later, Mom finds that her codename is about to become a whole lot more literal. What follows is a wild mashup of action, adventure, comedy, and romance as a newly pregnant Mom with a bounty on her head fights off wave after wave of assassins, falls in love with her baby daddy, and decides how to face her personal and professional predicament. EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED sets a new bar for the authenticity of fight scenes through a unique creative process developed by Rousey, Deodato, and AWA.
“I felt like I had to tell this story, because EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED pulls from the most important parts of my life: motherhood, my career as a fighter, and fun action movies,” said Ronda Rousey. “I knew I needed an artist who understood how to translate my fighting from real life to graphic novel artwork, so it’s been truly gratifying watching Mike Deodato bring this story to life. I’m so excited to work with AWA and share my very first graphic novel with the world and I hope comic fans will enjoy this adventure.”
Through Kickstarter, AWA allows fans to support its most ambitious limited-edition projects. This new graphic novel will feature Kickstarter exclusives and include premium, tiered rewards for the biggest Ronda Rousey fans. The EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED Kickstarter will launch on July 25 and those interested in learning more about the campaign and its reward offerings should sign up here to be notified when the campaign is live. Throughout her career as a global superstar, Rousey has built a huge fan base around the world and Kickstarter allows fans to support this debut in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Chief Creative Officer of AWA Axel Alonso added, “Ronda has brought the same level of ferocity, discipline, and craft to her original script that made her a champion in Judo, UFC, and WWE. A potent blend of dark comedy, romance, and over-the-top action, EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED delivers a knockout punch on every level. You’ll laugh, you’ll wince, you’ll cry, and you’ll thrill at the action scenes — meticulously choreographed by Ronda and executed with precision by comic book maestro and martial arts black belt Mike Deodato, Jr. — that literally leap off the page.”
This marks AWA’s third Kickstarter project, following the successful campaigns for Frank Cho’s FIGHT GIRLS – DELUXE DIRECTOR’S CUT EDITION, and Garth Ennis’ MARJORIE FINNEGAN, TEMPORAL CRIMINAL, both of which surpassed their initial funding goals within hours.
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